Mike Ranta will soon follow in Alexander Mackenzie香蕉视频直播檚 footsteps and canoe wakes.

Ranta, living and training in Lumby, will set out April 1 - No Fooling 香蕉视频直播� on his third cross-Canada canoe portage with his beloved, soon-to-be-nine-year-old Finnish Spitz sidekick, Spitzii.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 going to mimic Alexander Mackenzie香蕉视频直播檚 routes from Bella Coola to Cape Breton,香蕉视频直播� said Ranta, 45, originally from Canada香蕉视频直播檚 Canoeing Capital, Atikokan, Ont., about 200 kilometres west of Thunder Bay. 香蕉视频直播淭he first portage is 823 kilometres. I have a cart for my canoe and I tow it behind me. Everything I do is by foot and by paddle.香蕉视频直播�

In 2011, Ranta paddled solo with Spitzii from Rocky Mountain House, Alta. to Montreal and, in 2014, he and Spitzii canoed and portaged across the country from Vancouver to Tatamagouche, NS, falling about 150 kilometres shy of reaching his goal of Cape Breton.

(Both trips are the subject of Ranta香蕉视频直播檚 book, Mike and Spitzii Great Canadian Adventure. He香蕉视频直播檒l be signing copies of the book Saturday at Bookland in Vernon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

Set in a canoe by his mom and dad at a young age, Ranta is rarely without a paddle. His cross-country trips have been inspired by a pair of brothers from his hometown, Don and Joe Meaney, and by a group of six women and two men he encountered who were in the midst of their own across Canada portage.

香蕉视频直播淚 always wanted to do it, thanks to Don and Joe Meaney, they were cool guys,香蕉视频直播� said Ranta. 香蕉视频直播淭hen I met up with these young girls who were paddling from Vancouver to St. John, NB. That sparked my interest. I wondered if it was possible to do solo and starting looking into it. Nobody had gone coast-to-coast.香蕉视频直播�

Ranta says he香蕉视频直播檚 the only solo canoeist to cross the North American continent. A successful trip this year will be his third such excursion, accompanied this time by David Jackson of Canoe and Kayak Magazine, who will record the entire trip to produce a photographic journal.

His last trip raised awareness and funds for Canada香蕉视频直播檚 veterans. This year香蕉视频直播檚 trip, which will take Ranta about 200-plus days to complete (hopes to arrive in Cape Breton Oct. 31), is raising funds and awareness for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as his and Spitzii香蕉视频直播檚 way of celebrating香蕉视频直播檚 Canada香蕉视频直播檚 150th birthday.

A self-proclaimed 香蕉视频直播渕odern day voyageur and explorer,香蕉视频直播� Ranta runs up and down Lumby香蕉视频直播檚 Saddle Mountain twice a day to prepare his legs for the seven-month journey.

香蕉视频直播淏.C. is a tough province to go through by canoe,香蕉视频直播� he said, adding he keeps up his paddling skills by dropping his 18-foot lark carbon fibre canoe into Kalamalka Lake.

Ranta香蕉视频直播檚 portage looks something like this.

Starting at Bella Coola, he traverses over mountains to Kinbasket Lake near Golden. He paddles up the Columbia River and walks from Golden to Lake Louise.

Ranta then takes the Bow River from Lake Louise through Canmore, Calgary and down to where the Bow meets the Oldman River, which is the start of the South Saskatchewan River, and takes that all the way down to Lake Diefenbaker. He continues from there til he gets to the North Saskatchewan River which takes him to Cumberland House. From there, it香蕉视频直播檚 into The Pas, MB., into Cedar Lake which will take him and Spitzii to Lake Winnipeg.

From there, it香蕉视频直播檚 around the shores of Lake Winnipeg to Traverse Bay, up the Winnipeg River to Kenora, Ont. and Lake of the Woods. He香蕉视频直播檒l follow the old voyageur routes to his old stomping grounds near Atikokan, then it香蕉视频直播檚 into 香蕉视频直播渢he big lake,香蕉视频直播� Lake Superior.

From the big lake, it香蕉视频直播檚 on to Georgian Bay then taking the Trent-Severyn Waterway through Peterborough into Lake Ontario, through Kingston and into the Rideau Canal into Ottawa. Ranta will jump into the Ottawa River, paddling to the St. Lawrence Seaway and into Montreal, hugging the south shore to Riviere-du-Loup. He香蕉视频直播檒l portage to Lake Temiscouata, then down the Madawaska River in St. John.

For the final part of the journey, Ranta heads north to Cambridge-Narrows, up the Canaan River and portage to Shediac, NB before finishing at Cape Breton and Bras d香蕉视频直播橭r Lake.

香蕉视频直播淭he toughest part is B.C. through the mountains,香蕉视频直播� said Ranta. 香蕉视频直播淟ake Superior is really challenging, so is the St. Lawrence Seaway. Really challenging in some areas. It香蕉视频直播檚 pretty brutal.香蕉视频直播�

On his trips, Ranta has found a body in the North Saskatchewan River; rescued a drowning baby moose in Saskatchewan香蕉视频直播檚 Qu香蕉视频直播橝ppelle River; was nearly hit by lightning; and encountered rain for 170 of his 214 days on the road.

The most spectacular part of the trip, he said, without hesitation: Lake Superior.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 very beautiful. It香蕉视频直播檚 a good energy lake,香蕉视频直播� said Ranta.

A former labourer, Ranta is not one to 香蕉视频直播渟it in a mill or work in a cubicle.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚 worked in a mill and on the rigs, and I was not liking what I was doing. It was killing me,香蕉视频直播� said Ranta, who decided to make a go out of portaging across the country.

He sold off 香蕉视频直播減retty much everything I owned香蕉视频直播� and has learned to 香蕉视频直播渓ive without a lot of money.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淲ith great sacrifice comes great reward,香蕉视频直播� said Ranta. 香蕉视频直播淐anada is a beautiful country to travel through.香蕉视频直播�

Ranta香蕉视频直播檚 future excursions, he hopes, include spending a year in each province香蕉视频直播檚 paddling seasons, hitting up every waterway and river he can to get a really good understanding of Canada in the back country.

You can get updates on Ranta香蕉视频直播檚 upcoming trip at his website, www.mikeranta.ca.